Accessing specialist services for children with disabilities

Information on specialist services for parents and carers of children with disabilities

Support available

We work with our partners to provide a wide range of services for children with disabilities and their families. This includes short breaks and helping them to access the same services as other children. The short breaks programme has helped us to achieve this.

Parent Voice provides information for parents and carers of children with disabilities.

We use the following statement and criteria to decide which children are eligible for specialist services.

In order to achieve outcomes appropriate to their potential and as a result of their disability, the child requires total or substantial support, appropriate to their age, from another person, which is not available within the family network.

The child should also meet one or more of the following criteria:

they use specialist equipment for mobility

they require support for all basic self care functions when no longer age appropriate

they need constant supervision throughout the day and for prolonged periods at night, when no longer age appropriate

they have behaviour as a result of disability that is a serious risk to self and or others, including self harm

they have communication needs which, without support, severely affects personal safety, i.e. is deaf, blind or without speech

they have been assessed as having either of the following conditions, which results in significant risk of self harm or harm to others:

Parents or carers of a child or young person with disabilities or additional needs can get money to buy their own services, instead of the Council arranging services for them. This money is called Direct Payments. Some parents using Direct Payments find that the care provided is more convenient and flexible.

To get Direct Payments, your child will need to have a social work assessment. You can then buy services from a care provider such as a private agency, voluntary organisation or nursery. You can also hire carers directly.